Manchester City have suspended Joey Barton until the end of the season, following an incident at the club's training ground. Club officials have refused to specify the player, or the nature of the incident, but it is understood that Ousmane Dabo had to go to hospital with mouth injuries following an altercation with Barton.

"As far as I understand, Ousmane Dabo made the first move," said Barton's agent Willie McKay. "In my opinion both lads are first-class individuals and players. This sort of incident happens at training grounds across the country from amateur to professional level - I've even seen it happen from journalists playing in a five-a-side match. But because it's Joey Barton he's an easy target. At this juncture it may suit Manchester City to lay the blame at Joey Barton's door."

But the incident is clearly serious enough to warrant manager Stuart Pearce taking severe action just five days before City close their home programme with the Manchester derby. "We can confirm that a player has been suspended until the end of the season, pending an internal investigation into a training incident at the Carrington complex," read a club statement. "The club will be making no further comment at this time."

It is the latest in a string of recent problems that Pearce has had to deal with during a difficult season in which many fans have called for his head. First skipper Richard Dunne then, much more forcefully, Barton have criticised some of their team-mates in interviews. Barton went so far as to claim he would not have paid to watch City in action this season such has been the lack of entertainment at Eastlands.

Saturday's loss to Aston Villa means Pearce's men have still not scored a Premiership goal on home soil since New Year's Day, a sorry run that will be extended until August at least should they fail to find the net against United.